We characterized 28 unique African stonechat (Saxicola torquata) microsatellite loci. Seventeen loci characterized in 24 unrelated Saxicola torquata axillaris individuals sampled at Mount Meru, Tanzania displayed 2–26 alleles per locus and observed heterozygosities ran- ged from 0.29 to 0.92. Heterozygous females and sequence similarity suggested all 17 loci were autosomal. All markers also successfully amplified in nine different species ranging from Europe to Asia, including three endemic Island species. These microsatellite markers will be useful to assess the genetic diversity of the large and widely distributed genus Saxicola, a group comprising 11 recog- nized species with evidences of cryptic diversification. Several species show a narrow range distribution and are of conservation